Monaco Yacht Show: 5 places to dine and wine in style

With the end of the summer season most tourists leave the French Riviera, but for those who choose to stay and visit Cote d’Azur in sunny Autumn, a whole new round of entertainment and events approaches.

Despite its tiny size, Monaco, which is also known as the world’s hub of luxury and fame is once again preparing to host an immense inflow of visitors this week. This time the reason why the principality will have all eyes on it is the annual boat exhibition.

Between the 28th of September and 1st of October Port Hercules will be home to approximately 100 luxurious yachts that will be presented to industry professionals and visitors.

The boat show is for sure interesting, especially if it is your first time, the fine designs and the high-end brands are very magnetic and you can end up spending the whole day there even if you are not looking into buying a yacht.

However, in my opinion what makes the experience complete is when you know where to go for dining and partying, because a large part of what makes the buzz around the event is what is happening outside the actual exhibition.

I prepared a list of 10 hotspots to “ dine and wine” (more like dine and champagne), which I recommend based on my personal experience. Some of the places are quite pricey, but I can reassure you that it is worth it, you will get value for money.

Just Dine

Beef Bar

Located at Fontvieille Port and as suggesting by the name-Beef Bar is “ a Must “ visit if you are a meat lover. I can say nothing more than to agree strongly that they have the most delicious Wagy beef, truffle mashed potatoes and black burger.

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The elegant atmosphere, stunning view overlooking the boats and the modern design architecture makes it worth escaping the crowd at the main port where the exhibition is, and go going for a true lunch experience that will most certainly exceed your expectations.

Nobu

For those who are not big fans of meet and prefer innovative Japanese cuisine, don’t hesitate and book a table for dinner at Nobu. Chef Matsuhisa, who has opened restaurants in London, Dubai, Las Vegas, New York and many other exclusive destinations, has now established his presence in Monaco.

Located inside the Fairmont Hotel, the lounge styled restaurant has a romantic terrace with magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea and the cruising boats.

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Also, if you go between 6 and 8pm there is cocktails happy hour, so mixing a classy aperitif time with delicious Japanese food later makes the perfect combination.

Dine and Wine

Buddha Bar

A personal favorite of mine for dinner and a fun night out is the oriental-chic Buddha Bar. It has a restaurant part, which is inside on the second floor and a lounge for drinks, and party downstairs. In my opinion is the best place to dine and wine in the colder months.

The unconventional Chinese dishes are mixed with flavors from France, which is largely appreciated by the international clientele.

It is found 2 minutes walking distance from the Monte Carlo Casino, Café de Paris and just above the Fairmont Hotel, which makes it accessible from quite a few spots. It has its own valet that makes it convenient for those who chose to drive.

I am a big fan of the terrace, because apart from the beautiful view they offer different flavored Shishas. Why I am mentioning this as a big plus is because

Hookah places (Not Hooker!) are scarce in Monaco.

SASS Café

Monaco is a very classy and traditional place, so it will be a pity to miss out on SASS Café! The restaurant-lounge located opposite the Grimaldi Forum can simply be described as classy, classic and chic. Regardless of the season or day of the week, the hottest spot in Monaco is always busy in the evenings. Having lived in Monaco I realized that no matter where people go for dinner and drinks, they also go to Sass Café at the end.

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The place is cozy with dinner tables in and outside, which after 12 o’clock get cleaned up and the party starts with bottles of Dom Perignon been ordered as if there is no tomorrow. Celebrities and people from the wealthy elite can be spotted there at all times and is not something unusual to sit back to back with Football Club Owners, F1 drivers or Justin Bieber.

Twiga, Monte Carlo

Another glamorous destination where the rich and famous eat and play is Twiga. The trendy club is positioned on a floating raft docked to the quoi that provides a clear glimpse at the sea and all the glamour coming from the Mega-Yachts.

Similarly to most places in Monaco you have the chance of partying with celebs such as Timati, Philipp Plein and a whole lot of Russian Instafamous beauties.

Owned by the Italian Mogul Flavio Briatore the nightclub, which opened doors in 2014, is key to Monaco’s clubbing industry.

The clubby atmosphere is preceded usually by a dinner at the lounge, this tends to be convenient if you don’t want to move from one place to another, you can just dine in Twiga and then stay for the full on party. What is also really good at Twiga is the Shisha (all shishas in Monaco are the same, is kind of a monopoly, the only difference is in the prices).

My last tips are to dress fancy casual and make reservations a few days in advance, otherwise you risk not getting a table.

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